The present invention relates to a magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatus and more particularly, to a magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatus having an automatic shut down or stopping means which detects stoppage of a magnetic tape, for example, at the end of the running of the tape during recording, reproduction, fast forwarding, rewinding, etc., for returning various operating members of the apparatus to stopped positions by power transmitted from a motor.
Generally, in magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatuses having an automatic stopping means as described above, for temporarily stopping the running magnetic tape during recording and reproduction, such automatic stopping means is unnecessarily actuated if the running tape is merely stopped. Meanwhile, for a so-called "cue" operation (i.e., fast forwarding during reproduction) or "review" operation (i.e., rewinding during reproduction), it is a common practice to temporarily stop the running tape when changing over from the state of reproduction to fast forwarding or rewinding for preventing undue tension from being exerted on the tape. This arrangement, however, has the disadvantage that the automatic stopping means as described above tends to be undesirably actuated during the "cue" or "review" operation.
In order to overcome the disadvantages as described above, there have been proposed various arrangements, all of which, however, still have problems in that different structures are required for the temporary stopping of the running tape and for "cue" and "review" operations of the same tape, or that, even when the structures for such operations are the same, the number of component parts involved is quite large with consequent complication of the mechanisms, and it is therefore very difficult to provide a magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatus of the above described type having a simple construction and yet having high accuracy and reliability at a low manufacturing cost.
Accordingly, an essential object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatus equipped with an automatic stopping means having a safety device for the automatic stopping which is highly accurate and reliable in operation, with substantial elimination of the disadvantages inherent in the conventional magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatuses of this kind.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatus of the above described type which has a simple construction, a small member of parts, and which can be manufactured at low cost.
In accomplishing these and other objects, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatus is equipped with an improved automatic stopping safety device which includes means for automatic stopping so arranged as to cause an operating member to return to a stopping position by power supplied from a motor, a sliding member having magnetic heads mounted thereon and governing running and stopping of a magnetic tape during recording and reproduction according to a predetermined advanced position of said sliding member and a position thereof retracted by more than a predetermined amount from said predetermined advanced position, a first actuating member which causes said sliding member to retract by more than a predetermined amount during a temporary stopping operation, a second actuating member which causes said sliding member to retract by more than a predetermined amount during cue and review operations, and a third acutating member which causes said automatic stopping means to be substantially inoperative when said sliding member has been retraced by the predetermined amount during recording and reproduction. In the arrangement as described above, when the push-button operating mechanism is in an inoperative position, the automatic stopping means is kept inoperative by interrupting the power transmitted from the motor to the tape running and stopping detecting device by a simple mechanism so as to achieve accurate and stable functioning of the apparatus, with appreciable reduction of wear or deformation of the various components, whereby a magnetic tape recording and reproduction apparatus with high reliability can be provided at low manufacturing cost.